Sunday, February 15th kicked off Press Play: Data-Journalism Hackathon at the Windsor Public Library. Four student teams were assembled to take on a week-long challenge of creating interactive visualizations based on Windsor data.
The day also included a panel discussion with community experts on the topic of open data and technology in journalism. Our panelists will also be the judges for the hackathon. The round table included:
Bob Price – Technical Support Analyst at the City of Windsor Aisling Douglas – UI/UX Designer & Computer Girls Program Facilitator and Instructor Donald McArthur – Assistant Managing Editor, Digital at The Windsor Star Blake Roberts – Program Chair of Digital Journalism at the University of Windsor Dylan Kristy – Web Wrangler for the Windsor Star
Moderator: Douglas Sartori: Board President of Windsor Hackforge
We’ll keep you posted for more Press Play news as we continue towards the big reveal day on Sunday, February 22nd.
Press Play was created by University student Lauren Hedges and Hackforge, with support from EPICentre, Open Data Windsor Essex, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE) and WEtech Alliance.
In celebration of Open Data Day, Press Play: Data-Journalism Hackathon brings together local post-secondary students around government open data. Starting Sunday, February 15th at Windsor Public Library, teams made up of one journalism student and one computer science student will be given assignments with unique local data sets. They will have one week to create an interactive visualization using Windsor data.
Interactive visualizations bring complex data to life. The reader is able to explore facts and figures in a way which merges technology and design. Digital content is becoming increasingly fundamental to news institutions. Interactive visualizations utilize the potentials and creativity of the online medium. Check below for a few examples.
The hackathon aims to partner students from the University of Windsor and St. Clair College. Students will experience real world deadlines and assignments. Mentors are made up of local professional computer programmers, journalists, and graphic designers. Students will have various opportunities to learn from and network with them.
Press Play is brought to you with support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and is organized by University of Windsor Journalism Student, Lauren Hedges and Hackforge.
Registration is free and open to any post-secondary student with an interest in either journalism or computer science.
Start date:
Sunday, February 15, 2015
2-5 PM
Fred Israel Room, Windsor Public Library Central Branch (850 Ouellette Ave) Includes round table discussion from industry professionals on data journalism and the role of open data in Windsor.
You have week to complete the interactive visualization.
Teams are made up of two post-secondary students: one team member for coding, the other for journalism.
If you don’t have a teammate in mind, you will be paired up on February 15th.
There will be three assignments to choose from with varying degrees of difficulty.
All assignments involve open data about Windsor, Ontario.
Reveal Day:
Sunday, February 22, 2015
1-3PM
Windsor Star Green Bean Cafe (300 Ouellette Ave)
Basic Computer Literacy:
This course is designed for women with very basic computer knowledge. Participants will gain
practical computer knowledge in Microsoft Office, the internet, computer security, etc.
Classes offered:
Computer Basics (Feb. 11: 6-8PM)
The Internet, Cloud Services, and World Wide Web (Feb. 25: 6-8PM)
Word, Spreadsheet, and Presentation Programs (Mar. 11: 6-8PM) (FULL)
Computer Security and Privacy (Mar. 25: 6-8PM) REGISTER HERE.
Intro to Coding:
This course is designed to provide individuals with practical skills employers are looking for. If you want to
pursue a career in computer science, or if you enjoy working with computers….this program is for you!
Participants will learn about Coding, Web Animation, Photo Editing, etc.
Classes offered:
Introduction to HTML (Feb. 18: 6-8PM) (FULL)
Introduction to CSS (Mar 4: 6-8PM) (FULL)
Introduction to JavaScript (Mar 18: 6-8PM) (FULL)
Intermediate HTML/CSS (Apr 1: 6-8PM) (FULL)
Saturday, January 17th, Hackforge will be visiting Remington Park Library for an all-ages 3D printing demonstration. From 2-4PM, we invite the public to stop by and view our 3D printer in action and interact with 3D printed objects. Come see how you can bring items from your imagination to life with this exciting new technology.
Remington Park Library is located at 2710 Lillian Ave in South Windsor.
After a two week vacation, the Software Craftsman Guild is back on Wednesday, January 7th from 6-9PM. Join the weekly group for computer programmers at Hackforge (850 Ouellette Ave). Bring your laptop, hang out with the Hackforge Software Guild and work on whatever programming project you’d like!
